Time for a bestseller

But the real publishing hit was Raymond Moody's book "Life After Life," published in 1975. He was no shaman either, but a doctor of psychology and philosophy. In the book, he described the experiences of people who had "close calls" to death, were resuscitated, but came back to life. Moody admitted that until writing the book, he had not encountered any literature on paranormal or occult phenomena, and had never had a close call himself. He was raised in a family of traditional Methodist believers who avoided even mention of the occult.

The book was criticized primarily for its lack of statistical data. This omission was remedied by the then-young and promising psychologist Kenneth Ring. He conducted a study of 102 people who had experienced clinical death. He later began collecting cases of dying people observing events occurring during their "death" and the experiences of attempted suicides. He published five books.

What does science say? Most doctors consider NDEs to be hallucinations of the dying, induced by drugs or cerebral hypoxia. Raymond Moody himself provided the evidence for this. He constructed the so-called psychomateum. In ancient Greece, this term was used to refer to prophecies resulting from contact with spirits. Moody's psychomateum was a dark chamber containing a large mirror, serving as a "gateway" to the world of the dead.

People staying there entered an "altered state of consciousness" resembling clinical death.

But one thing is certain: people who have experienced an NDE usually change their lives, "open up", abandon the pursuit of wealth and honors. And stop being afraid of death.

Kenneth Ring established a five-phase model of the NDE, occurring regardless of the gender and age of the dying, their religious beliefs and cultural differences:

Deep peace and the absence of pain. Nearly 60% described a wonderful feeling that eliminated the fear of death, sadness, and all earthly anxieties.

Separation from the body. Nearly half of the subjects saw their body from above. Separated from the body, consciousness "enters darkness." There is a sense of traveling through a dark space, often referred to as a tunnel. Many of the subjects felt that at this stage a decision was being made as to whether they would return to life.

The deceased person's entire life flashes before their eyes (image after image), and they also experience the feeling of a presence. This being helps them understand their life with love and understanding.

The darkness is replaced by light, which draws the deceased into itself.

The deceased enters the light, a world of wondrous beauty. They encounter their departed loved ones (including their favorite animals). When the time comes to return to the body, they accept it with reluctance and hesitation.